Sleep, oh sweetest thing
I've known for a long time that I don`t do well without enough sleep. I get irritable and cranky, frankly I tend toward depression. Thankfully I know this now and have learned to manage it. Of course in high-stress phases it is much harder, and also if you tend to be a serious night owl who are much better at working late into the night than getting up in the morning.
It`s interesting how the most satisfying, worth- while and memorable times are those that require massive amounts of our time, energy and late nights. Like being in the army, like having a baby, and like studying.
So what a relief when an `independent study` day this week allowed me to work from home! I could sleep two hours later, the exact two hours I would usually spend on the bus, and work in my PJ's until 12. And the unusually late winter weather made it especially cozy and satisfying! I also got more work done than I would have at school, making it an productive and reassuring day. The best stress-buster is of course not only sleep but mainly to do the work!
I know it`s mostly not possible to sleep in, as a matter of fact I have done more all-nighters this year than ever before (or maybe army might win with a hair width here). But new research is showing more benefits to sleep than we may ever have known, and I am shifting from regarding it as a waste of time to a treasured opportunity for recovery and reboot.
One day, when my kids are grown and I`m a student no longer, I`ll follow my natural inclination to paint until 3am and sleep until 10, but for now, a good, standard sleep routine is a sanity-saving grace.
It`s interesting how the most satisfying, worth- while and memorable times are those that require massive amounts of our time, energy and late nights. Like being in the army, like having a baby, and like studying.
So what a relief when an `independent study` day this week allowed me to work from home! I could sleep two hours later, the exact two hours I would usually spend on the bus, and work in my PJ's until 12. And the unusually late winter weather made it especially cozy and satisfying! I also got more work done than I would have at school, making it an productive and reassuring day. The best stress-buster is of course not only sleep but mainly to do the work!
I know it`s mostly not possible to sleep in, as a matter of fact I have done more all-nighters this year than ever before (or maybe army might win with a hair width here). But new research is showing more benefits to sleep than we may ever have known, and I am shifting from regarding it as a waste of time to a treasured opportunity for recovery and reboot.
One day, when my kids are grown and I`m a student no longer, I`ll follow my natural inclination to paint until 3am and sleep until 10, but for now, a good, standard sleep routine is a sanity-saving grace.
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